The Duluth News Tribune‘s John Lundy reports the Paris tradition of attaching a padlock as a symbol of love has made it to Duluth. Couples write their names on the lock and then attach it to three pillars on the Lakewalk in Canal Park.

There are hundreds there now.

It’s “almost like you’re putting a stamp, a symbol of the relationship, kind of locking and saying, ‘This is real,'”Chris Lewandowski, who’s in love, told Lundy.

Sweet.

But we wonder who hurt the people who don’t like it?

Duluth’s version of “love locks” isn’t to everyone’s taste, judging by responses to a News Tribune query via social media last week. “Cheap and indolent” was one description. “One front end loader, pull it up and haul it to the landfill,” another wrote.

The Duluth Parks and Recreation Department, which is responsible for the Lakewalk, is aware of the locks, said city spokeswoman Pakou Ly. It was unexpected, she said, but as long as the locks don’t somehow threaten the infrastructure of the nearby boardwalk, there’s no plan to dismantle them.

“We’re not really sure when it started,” Ly said, but it’s clear the number of locks is growing.

“For me seeing that padlock signifies that this place means so much to so many different people,” Lewandowski said.

About the blogger

Bob Collins has been with Minnesota Public Radio since 1992, emigrating to Minnesota from Massachusetts. He was senior editor of news in the ’90s, ran MPR’s political unit, created the MPR News regional website, invented the popular Select A Candidate, started several blogs, and every day laments that his Minnesota Fantasy Legislature project never caught on.

NewsCut is a blog featuring observations about the news. It provides a forum for an online discussion and debate about events that might not typically make the front page. NewsCut posts are not news stories.